What Partners Do
by ncispsycho16
Summary: When Jen is sick, Gibbs takes care of her. Just some cute fluff I thought up while I was bored.


**A/N So I know I should be working on my story Breaking the Rules, but this idea popped into my head and wouldn't leave me alone. This story is dedicated to left my heart in Paris, because I disappointed her when Breaking the Rules turned Tiva instead of Jibbs.**

Gibbs stepped off of the elevator and strolled into the bullpen after his coffee run. He was in a good mood today. Well, in as good of a mood as Gibbs could be. There had been a particularly short line at his favorite coffee shop and the weather was nice. The team didn't have a case, so they were just finishing up some paperwork that they had ignored over the last few weeks. DiNozzo seemed to have about twice as much as everyone else, which just reminded Gibbs how juvenile he was.

He quickly finished his case report and went to give it to the director. He walked in to find that Cynthia wasn't there. He didn't see any of her things, so he assumed she had gone home for the day. He barged right in to the director's office. He was quite confused for a moment. The light was off and the director was not at her desk. Gibbs knew she had come in today, and he hadn't seen her leave. Oh well, he thought, and went to set his report on her desk. As he was doing this, something caught his eye. In the corner of the office, he saw a touch of red on the couch. He went over to investigate, and found Jenny curled up. He smiled, knowing that she needed the sleep. After all, she threw herself into her work and never did anything else. He brushed a piece of hair off of her face, and he noticed that she felt very hot. He put his hand on her forehead, and sure enough, she was burning up.

"Jen," he called softly, "you need to wake up."

No response.

"Jen," he tried again, this time shaking her shoulder slightly. "Come on Jen. You need to wake up."

He received a mumble as proof that she was awake enough to understand him.

"Get up, Jen. I'll take you home."

"Jethro, I'm fine. I just needed a nap." She argued.

"Jen, you're burning up, let me take you home so you can at least rest in your own bed."

"Fine," she mumbled, slowly getting up to grab her stuff.

"I will meet you at the car in a minute. Let me just go tell my team I'm going home."

Gibbs walked down the stairs into the bullpen.

"I'm leaving, finish up what you are working on, and then you can go home too." Gibbs announced to his team. He went to the parking garage, leaving before his team had a chance to respond.

"Twenty bucks says he is hooking up with the director." Tony challenged.

"I'll take that bet," McGee said. Ziva rolled her eyes, not bothering to mention that her friend had not been feeling well and Gibbs was most certainly just going to take care of her.

"Jen, we're here," Gibbs said softly, realizing that his companion was asleep.

"I'm just gonna stay here," she mumbled, almost inaudibly. Gibbs sighed.

"Come on, Jen," he said as he helped her to her feet. She groaned slightly, but allowed him to stand her up. She walked to the house, leaning on Gibbs for support.

"I thought we were going to my house!" she attempted to protest.

"It's easier to watch you if you're at my house." Gibbs replied.

"Jethro! I am a grown woman. I do not need babysat!"

"I'm not babysitting you, Jen. I just want to make sure you're okay. Why don't you lie down on the couch? I'll make you some soup." Gibbs suggested. Jen grumbled in protest as she walked into the living room and collapsed on the couch. Gibbs went to the kitchen and grabbed a can of Campbell's Chicken Noodle Soup. He then rummaged through his many cupboards in search of a pot. Once he found one, he put it on the stove and dumped the can of soup in the pot with a can of water. While that was heating up, he went to check on his former partner, who he suspected had already dozed off on the couch. He smiled when he saw her, she looked so peaceful. She had pulled her hair up into a loose messy bun. Gibbs went back into the kitchen to get the soup, and then placed it on the coffee table in front of Jen. He gently shook her awake and gave her the soup. She gladly took it and started to eat.

"I'll be right back," Gibbs said, before heading upstairs. A minute later he came back down and handed her his old NIS shirt. Jenny smiled and took the shirt into the bathroom, where she changed from her striped pantsuit into the large, comfortable shirt. The shirt immediately calmed her down. It felt so familiar. It brought back so many memories. Memories of coming to this house late at night, and staying up even later. And the smell, oh, it smelled just like him. It smelled of bourbon, sawdust, coffee, and something that was all his own. She walked back into the living room to find not only her soup, but a glass of water and some Tylenol sitting on the coffee table. She silently thanked Jethro for knowing her so well. When they were undercover in Europe, she had gotten the flu, and he had taken care of her for a week until she had gotten better. The next week, Jethro had gotten sick, and refused her help. She had ended up slipping sleeping pills in his coffee so he would lie down and sleep. After their time in Europe, they knew what each other wanted when they were sick, or anytime really. She gulped down the pills and finished her soup. It suddenly hit her how sore she was from leaning over her desk all day. Her shoulders were aching and tense. She sighed and leaned back into the slightly uncomfortable cushions and closed her eyes. She felt the couch dip slightly to her left and two hands gravitate to her shoulders. They began kneading, and she failed to fight back the urge to moan. She winced only slightly at the moment of pain that came before the stress and stiffness melted away.

He hated it. He hated seeing her like this. She looked so helpless. He hated when she was sick, but at the same time, he decided to make the most of it. He got to help her, care for her, make soup for her. But best of all, he could simply spend time with her. His mind drifted to Europe, when she had gotten the flu. He took care of her for a week while she was sick. He knew that she always got bad headaches when she was sick, and that Tylenol helped. He knew that she always craved salty foods after a particularly bad headache, and that caffeine made it worse. He knew that bourbon helped after a hard case, and that sometimes she just needed someone to cuddle with. He knew pretty much everything about her.

"Come on Jen, let's get you to bed." Jethro smirked at how that sounded.

"Mind out of the bedroom, Jethro," she replied, lightly punching his arm. She leaned into him and allowed him to lead her to his bedroom. Jen lay down on the bed. Jethro turned to leave, but before he could, Jenny grabbed his hand.

"Don't leave," she said so quietly it was like a whisper. He turned around and gave her a questioning look, wondering if her fever was higher than he originally thought.

"Please," she begged. He shot her a soft smile before climbing into the bed and lying down next to her. She relaxed visibly when he curled up next to her. She turned around so they were facing each other.

"Thank you," Jen said.

"For what?" Gibbs asked.

"For being there for me, for caring for me."

"That's what partners do, Jen"

"But we aren't partners anymore"

"So what?"

This made Jen smile. She switched which side she was laying on in order to get more comfortable. Suddenly, there was a hand on her back, slowly moving in calming circles.

"Mmm" Jen sighed.

"Do you like that?" Jethro chuckled.

"Mm-hm" Jen muttered, leaning back into his hand. The circles that Gibbs were making became slower as they both fell asleep. Gibbs watched Jen sleep for a little while, letting his arm fall over her side. He fell asleep and the two of them stayed like that for the rest of the night.

**A/N This is my first one-shot, but I was thinking about making longer. Please tell me if I should keep it like this or continue. I hope you like it. Please review!**

**Jae**


End file.
